Some speed limits go up in District

WASHINGTON – Mayor Vincent Gray ordered an emergency rule-making Monday to permit the District Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on four roadways in D.C.

The changes took effect 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, and apply to parts of New York Avenue, Bladensburg Road, North Capitol Street and Canal Road.

The move comes after DDOT completed a review of roadways with automated speed enforcement and determined the speed limits on some roads could be increased immediately without significantly impacting safety.

Here are the changes:

New York Avenue- Eastbound from Bladensburg Road to the Maryland state line to be raised from 40 to 45.

New York Avenue- Westbound from the Maryland state line to Bladensburg Road to be raised from 35 to 40.

Bladensburg Road- from Mt. Olivet Road/17th Street to New York Avenue to be raised from 25 to 30.

North Capitol Street- from Michigan Avenue to Harewood Road to be raised from 35 to 40.

Canal Road- from Chain Bridge to Foxhall Road to be raised from 35 to 40.

“I want to commend Director Bellamy and DDOT for reassessing these roadways and determining the appropriate speed limits,” Mayor Gray says.”Residents have asked us to reconsider the posted maximums in these areas and we’re confident these changes can be made without compromising safety.”

In November, DDOT raised the speed limit to 35 MPH on Benning Road, NE, between Oklahoma Avenue and Kenilworth Avenue (DC 295), and to 50 MPH on DC 295 per the mayor’s suggestion.

The agency will continue its analysis of all district speed limits with the goal of completing the comprehensive review by Oct. 1, 2014.